Jackson Holliday stood outside the Aberdeen IronBirds dugout after his High-A home debut, smirked as he dropped his head and admitted he was looking to hit a home run.
Last year’s No. 1 overall draft pick had singled, struck out once and grounded out twice in his first four at-bats. On the fifth and final one in the eighth inning, he jumped on a one-out fastball, sending it high and far over the fence in right-center, the deepest gap at Leidos Field.
“I was able to end the night with a good swing,” Holliday said. “I don’t like grounding out and I did that twice. It’s just a mindset. Obviously, I’m not going to hit a home run every time, but if you think that, your body usually gets in a pretty good position to hit.”
Ripken Stadium had a stronger than normal showing for a Tuesday night. It was largely to watch Holliday and hits like that, which extended the IronBirds’ lead in an 11-0 win over the Hudson Valley Renegades.
“You don’t see those balls come out too often with left-handed hitters to that spot,” IronBirds manager Roberto Mercado said. “It’s pretty special.”
Holliday spent the past two weeks on the road with the IronBirds before finally getting the chance to play in Aberdeen.
He remembers being on the bus ride home from Fredericksburg, Virginia, after playing his last series with the Low-A Delmarva Shorebirds. His father, a seven-time MLB All-Star, texted him asking for an update if he had been called up yet. “Not yet,” he replied.
But when the bus arrived later that night on April 23, last year’s No. 1 overall draft pick got the call that he would be promoted to High-A.
“It was cool,” Holliday said. “I guess he had a good sense for that. They were all excited.”
Having made it through 10 road games plus a home debut at the new level, the Orioles’ top prospect still in the minor leagues is slashing .310/.431/.524 with a .955 OPS. He walked nine times and struck out 11.
Jerry Keeler, a Brooklyn native and Yankees fan, watched Holliday with a more objective eye. He thought the 19-year-old looked “pretty poised right from the first at-bat. … it looked like he felt right at home.”
For Holliday, the transition boils down to adjusting to better pitches.
“Just adjusting to how they pitch me and kind of the different shapes the pitches move the higher you go,” he said. “It’s been a little bit of an adjustment at the beginning but I feel like I’m in a good spot.”
“He’s got a quiet demeanor about him,” Mercado said. “He puts in the work every single day. I’d say he’s an elite learner. He gets things really quick, doesn’t make the same mistake twice. We worked on a couple things defensively — some slow rollers he struggled with early — and we’ve already seen him [improve] in two weeks.”
Holliday didn’t offer any particular advice he has gotten since being called up. But Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson, the highly touted prospects who preceded him, offered guidance for riding the highs and lows of the minor leagues while Holliday was with the Orioles in spring training.
Leidos Field poses a new challenge for Holliday. The park has a reputation of not being friendly to hitters with its big outfield and turf surface.
He’s reframing that characteristic, quipping, “there’s a lot of space out in that outfield. I’m not looking at it as a negative. Home runs will happen.” He was right, smacking his fourth of the season and second for the IronBirds.
Mercado, now his second season, tipped his cap to the short list of players he has seen belt one over the deepest part of the field.
Baseball America ranks Holliday as the sport’s No. 7 prospect, jumping eight spots from his initial preseason designation after he dominated at Low-A Delmarva by hitting .392 with a .523 on-base percentage and .667 slugging percentage, walking 14 times against 12 strikeouts and stealing three bases without being caught in 13 games this season.
With great expectations comes great fanfare. For Holliday, it’s about holding himself to a standard that kids want to emulate the same way he emulated his father, Matt Holliday, who enjoyed a 14-year MLB career.
The 19-year-old infielder has already been bombarded with autograph requests on the road, admitting he has signed countless baseball cards and other memorabilia. Aberdeen’s team store came prepared, selling Holliday’s No. 11 T-shirts in preparation for his home opener.
Dave Saunders, from Newark, Delaware, and Jaime Valdez, from Havre de Grace, each flexed their new No. 11 IronBirds shirts.
“We’re huge O’s fans,” Saunders said. “I’m pumped about him. We made a point to get here early to get the shirts because we thought they might sell out before the game was even over”
Saunders’ expectation is Holliday will make it at least to Double-A by the end of the year. Valdez first asked to confirm Holliday is still only 19, then joked, “the major leagues will still be there when he turns 21. Learn what you need to learn here, then move on.”
They’re both hopeful for however long he spends in Aberdeen.
“My goal coming into the year was to try to get to Double-A, so I’d say this is a good start to be here in the fourth week of the season,” Holliday said. “Headed in the right direction, I guess. … The guys in Delmarva were awesome and the coaching staff was great, so I was kind of sad to wave goodbye to them. But I’m excited to be here and just trying to get out of here as fast as possible now. That’s the new goal.”
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